Fighting for those trying to fight for themselves

St Andrews has a plethora of events happening all the time. Between the balls, the fashion shows, the speaker events and the BOPS it’s a miracle that any of us have time to stand by the hot water dispense in the library and complain about essay deadlines. Yet, in a town full of events to attend there is one that has recently caught my eye. On Saturday night the St Andrews Boxing Club will be hosting its first Charity Home Show in five years at Younger Hall with boxers from Universities across the UK coming to compete.

The event begins at 7pm on Saturday night at Younger Hall and will be accompanied by a Union bar. Upon the conclusion of the boxing spectators and boxers alike can move to club 601 for a fun evening of dancing and drinking. Two St Andrews staples. An evening of boxing, pints with your friends and a lack of Kinkell Byre madness sounds as cathartic as they come.

I can’t claim to have a long history of an interest in boxing matches. I can’t even claim to have ever been curious about one before but this one is special. This one is dedicating all the of proceeds to YoungMinds, a U.K. charity that is dedicated to helping helping young people suffering from Mental Health problems. Ranging from offering a hotline for parents that are unsure how to help their child, to training programs for those that would like to help, to going into schools to offer assistance to students, to actually giving students resources about their symptoms, their possible condition and how to get the help they need, YoungMinds is a phenomenal charity that fills a large vacuum in society today. Having had many friends over the years who have suffered from mental disorders, I have seen the effects of such disorders first hand. I have also been able to see how much the right help can truly aid those that need it.

However, it was not just the incredibly important charity that the event has chosen that drew me to it, it’s also the boxing I’ve never been interested in before. Perhaps it’s the involvement of one of my friends in boxing this year that I have a new appreciation for just how much boxers train. Upwards of eight hours a week with practices early in the morning and at night, specific diets for those regularly fighting; boxing is a sport that requires an incredible level of discipline. As someone that lacks it, I can only admire it from afar, or from the side of the ring. The boxers that will be competing in Saturday’s event have been fighting for years and have been training for this event specifically since February. This event is the perfect chance for them to get to show off all of their hard work to their peers on their home turf. It is the high discipline and strong work ethic that will be the ethos for the show. Blaise Cooper, President of the Boxing Club, says this is what he is most excited to see play out. Having witnessed first hand some of the work put in by the fighters, he’s already got matchups he’s excited to see play out (keep an eye out for Borowski and Payne!).

While it is true that the University also offers Fight Night, another event centered around boxing, this charity show offers to be great in its own unique way. Fight Club fights White Collar style while the Boxing Club fights Olympic style. This means that the rules are slightly different as are the regulations placed on the fighters and on those hosting the show. It also means that the way match ups are made is not the same. While Fight Club emphasizes boxing training leading up to the fight for those that might never have even boxed before, this event is all about showing off the boxing of people that have trained a large part of their lives to fight in the ring. This means that this is not a “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all” type of event.

One of the best parts according to Cooper? “It’s a tener and it’s for charity”. So, whether or not you’re a boxing fanatic, want a change of scene for pints with your friends, or, like me, really appreciate the choice of charity and the work ethic of the fighters and of those creative enough to create such a cool evening, the Charity Home Show promises to be a great evening for all and one this writer is, frankly, really excited to see play out.

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